Water bans could be on the horizon

Thursday

Apr 24, 2008 at 12:01 AMApr 24, 2008 at 4:34 PM

Water, water everywhere - but maybe not for long. As the region heads into warmer weather, increasing temperatures will almost certainly mean water bans and other conservation measures in some communities.

Peter Reuell

Water, water everywhere - but maybe not for long.

As the region heads into warmer weather, increasing temperatures will almost certainly mean water bans and other conservation measures in some communities.

For the time being, though, there seems to be more than enough water to go around.

"We came into the fall in reasonably good shape," said Ria Convery, communications director for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. "Even though it was dry, the Quabbin (Reservoir) is so big...we were never too low."

In January, its lowest point this year, she said, the reservoir was at just under 88 percent capacity. Today, it's at 99.6 percent of its capacity.

"If you live in an MWRA community, we're going into the summer in really, really good shape," she said.

How long the reservoir stays that way may depend on the weather.

After a relatively wet start to spring, National Weather Service records show rainfall is now below normal in both Boston and Worcester.

For communities that get their water from the MWRA, like Framingham and Northborough, officials said dips in rainfall aren't a cause for concern.

"We're not even close to a water ban yet," said Framingham Public Works Director Peter Sellers. "We're with the MWRA, so we take our lead from them."

Northborough DPW Director Kara Buzanoski echoed Sellers' comments.

"Our own wells are off-line," she said. "Right now we take all our water from the MWRA. They don't have a water ban on now, so there aren't any issues."

In other communities, however, the question of whether a water ban will be part of the summer is a very real one.

"We're considering that we may have to go back on a water ban of some kind this summer, just to not overtax some of the wells we have," Holliston water Superintendent Ron Sharpin said yesterday. "We don't want to get to a place where we're having to pump a major part of the day just to keep up."

With the state issuing tough new water-use limits for towns, Sharpin said, it may be wise to institute a ban this year, if only to acclimate residents to such conservation measures.

"If the state is going to require us to do something next year, maybe we should take a little baby step in that direction," he said.

When it comes to water bans, Franklin Public Works Director Brutus Cantoreggi was adamant yesterday - there will be one.

"We know we will," he said. "I don't call it a water ban, I call it a conservation plan."

The town's plan now is to institute its typical ban - which limits lawn watering to one day per week - from Memorial Day through Labor Day, but those plans could change as the weather does.

"The water table is pretty good right now, (but) I take all my water from the ground," he said. "The water table is not down right now, but it constantly needs to be replenished. If there's an extended period without rain, we could put the plan in place earlier."

"Everybody should be ready this year," Wayland water Superintendent Jack Mitchell said. "Ground water levels are showing record highs this year because of the very wet (period) we had this spring. But that's going to be short-lived. Sooner or later they're going to drop and when they do they'll drop like a rock."

And while Wayland's wells are in good shape today, there's no reason to wait until a ban is in place to begin conserving, Mitchell said.

"Everybody should conserve water," he said. "It's a natural resource, and it's starting to diminish."